Phil: "Texas is really ugly you know that? I
mean, what could anyone possibly like about this state?"
Dorman: "I like the way it's shaped"

FAN STORIES

THIS FAN STORIES PAGE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED:
To write new messages and talk to other Fandango fans, go toThe
Fandango Forum

Stories from fans who have buried their own bottle of Dom (or
cheaper substitute) or gone on a filming-locations road trip.
Plus stories from crew members who worked on the film.

The Texas A&M Delta
Chi

The 'Texas A&M Delta Chi' - who
have sporadic contact with Delta Chi Kevin Costner - have regular excursions
along the movie's route.

The photo above, taken by Corey Heath,
shows the actual DOM rock. If you look closely at the rock in the top middle,
you can just see the word "DOM" again; this is the carving from the original
trip that Kevin Reynolds made whilst an undergraduate at Baylor University, the
trip on which the movie is loosely based.

- Corey Heath, Aaron Lee and all at the
Texas A&M Delta Chi

"We're gonna have to dig up JACK..."

I wanted to let you know that my college
roommates and I buried a bottle of Jack Daniels at the border of Mexico. We
painted "Jack" on a large rock near Larado, Texas (which you could see from a
distance), and returned three years later to dig up our buddy.

We used Jack because we were in college and
could not afford a bottle of Dom.

(Photos of them burying and digging up the bottle).
The cool thing is the word "Jack" is faded from nature on the
return picture...

Fandango UK

Alex (this site's author) and flatmates Scott
Snowden and James Brown (no, not that one) did their own version of the DOM
burying in Coventry, England. Not nearly as cool as Texas, admittedly. Making
as much of a road trip as possible in suburban middle England, we blacked-up
and headed out at 2am armed with shovels and a bottle of plonk.

Scott, Alex & Jim, Coventry
1995

We also wrote letters to ourselves and
buried them with the bottle - these were amusingly embarassing to read when we
dug them up years later, especially the one Scott's by-then-ex-girlfriend had
sneaked in there.

All this was buried under a bridge in a
little-used part of Coventry - soon after we dug it up, this area was turned
into a huge shopping precinct.

- Alex Musson, Scott Snowden &
James Brown

Extra in the wedding scene

Great site! I was actually an
extra in the movie for the wedding scene. I was only 16 at the time but it was
a great experience. Most people look at me strange when I try to explain the
movie I was in but I think it really did make for a good movie. I really wish
the soundtrack had come out but you can't have everything. I gave away most of
the souvenir items I had from the movie but I'll search the archives to see if
there is anything of use for your site ...too bad digital cameras weren't made
then.

All I can say is Chuck Bush was a hell of a guy to
have around the set. Judd Nelson was the best actor to hang out with since he
wasn't stuck up yet at the time. Costner was a prima dona even back then as I
remember, flying home every weekend and not really hanging out with the crew.
Oh, and I made a whopping $48 for my entire week, which judging by the movie
revenue I guess I did alright.

- Timothy Dell

An email from Brian 'Lester' Cesak

Hey Alex, My name is Brian Cesak (aka:
Lester Griffith). Just found your website and found it very interesting. One
day when I get a scanner, I will send you some behind the scenes pics. If
you're interested send me an email and I will try and fill you in on anything
you'd like to know about the movie, behind the scenes etc... On the credits
page you don't mention Lester's last name nor Dorman's. I'll see if I can find
out if Dorman even had a last name and send it to you if he does.

Thanks for the info and for giving me Chuck's email address. I
haven't talked to him in quite a while. I got your other two emails last week.
I'm going to be busy for the next several months opening up my new Chiropractic
clinic in Houston. I'll send you some pics I have as soon as I get a scanner or
have access to one. I'll try and send some stories from the movie set as well
as time permits.. I love your website. Keep up the great
work.

- Brian Cesak

Looking for the site of the McLean
Massacre

We made it to the site of the McLean
Massacre. We got there after dark, but got a photo of me my daughter Jessica
(who's expecting this march) standing next to the marker.

It is nothing like the one in the movie. It also is
in a completely different location than shown in Fandango...-
Buzz

Hi, I'm Jessica, I think you've been talking
to my dad, Buzz. Fandango is my all time favorite movie too. Yesterday we went
to the site of the McLean massacre. He found its location through the state of
Texas website. Instead of being anywhere on the Fandango route, the website
gave the location as being eight miles south of Palestine, TX. (East TX, about
three hours down and to the right from Dallas which is fortunate because that's
where we live.) We found the street where the marker is supposed to be fairly
easily but, unfortunately, right at sunset.

The website said it would be on the corner of
the second street on the left. We hiked around but found nothing. Then we
decided to drive very slowly up and down the street (Anderson County Road 185,
for those who'd like to go.) and examine every opening in the brush on both
sides of the street. Nothing. (They seem to abandon a lot of furniture and
appliances on the sides of the road out there, however.)

In desperation, my dad stopped at a small
frame house where an old man sat on his porch swing chewing tobacco. He knew
right where the marker was (turns out it was on the other side of the street, a
bit further west than the website had said.) and directed us to a house with a
red pickup truck and a hay barn that had recently been redone. We headed back
up the street and there, lo and behold, in someone's front yard, literally
twenty feet from their front door and right next to their mailbox, a bright,
white granite structure taller than both of us, is the marker. It's not like in
the movie; there are no railroad tracks, no dirt, it isn't a low concrete
square that you read from the top - it actually looks like a giant tombstone,
but the text is the same.

So now, we're full of questions... why would
you choose to import a historical marker to a part of Texas that is inaccurate?
How did it get there? Why that marker? My theory is this: on the TX gov't
website, it said that repairs had been made on the marker and I believe that
they're recent. The marker in Slocum looks brand new but the date it became a
marker is 1936. I think that they replaced it with the granite one out there
now and took the one that you see in the movie away. I don't know how it got
into the hands of anyone in the movie, maybe they sell old markers or maybe
they just throw them away and someone happened to go through the state of
Texas' dumpster. If anyone has any info, please let me know.

I wonder if they left the other marker out
there by the railroad tracks. I wonder if Kevin Reynolds keeps it in his
backyard. I wonder if he had it made for the movie. Oh, I'm just so full of
questions now! But it was a great experience, we saw an armadillo scurry off
the road away from our car on the way back and I think my dad will be sending
you pictures soon.

- Jessica

Meeting Chuck Bush

Ever since becoming familiar with the
net, I have wondered if I could locate anything regarding this great movie. I
actually had the pleasure of meeting and knowing Chuck "Tank" Bush right after
filming. I was introduced to him by my aunt and uncle. He even visited my house
once. A photo taken with him is one of my best memories and most prized
possessions. He was even nicer than the character he
played.

It's been several years since I've spoken with
him, but Fandango remains truly one of my all-time favorites for too many
reasons to list here. Congratulations on a wonderful site! Keep up the good
work.

- Lannie Claybar, Orange, Tx

Searching for locations

My father and I ventured up and down Hwy
67 (the route between Fort Stockton, TX and Presidio, TX) to search any of the
locations. The only one that we "thought" we found was a Sonic in Alpine. We
looked like goobers taking photos in front of it. We were not even sure if it
was the correct location. We do know that there was never a Sonic in Marfa and
that the Sonic in Alpine was the only one that they could have shot at on Hwy
67.

There is a Dairy Queen in Marfa (and that is
about it!), but no Sonic. That reminds me: Why did the gas station attendee in
the movie say that there is a "Dairy Queen" down the road (in Marfa) when the
Groovers ended up going to a Sonic? Sonic did not open until the mid-1980's. We
also traveled to Presidio. What a hot, dry hell-hole. It was 112 degrees in the
shade. None of the streets were paved and the only thing living there was
cactus.

- Trey Lyda, Atlanta, GA

At Pecos Parachute School

Thought you might enjoy these. Just went
out to Pyote, Tx today and hopped the fence to the Pecos Parachute School. The
image here is me on the right, with my cousin Kody on the left. The sign for
the AF base is on the north side access road of the now existing Interstate 20.
In the 40's and 50's, when the base was active the interstate did not run in
between there and the base to the south. Now the interstate seperates the
two.

The sign says the base was open in 1942 and
housed up to 2000 aircraft. It was one of the best training facilities in the
nations, had some of the best pilots, and actually housed the Enola Gay for
some time.

- Donnie Doan

Truman Sparks the dog

Hello, from a fellow groover in Texas.
Great website, I can't believe there are as many people out there that loved
this movie as much as I did. I live about 200 Miles East of the movie location
(Marathon, Texas-Alpine, Texas). I have personnally made a trek to find DOM.
What a classic!, it is the only movie I have ever bought.

P.S. I loved the Truman Sparks character
so much that I named my Border Collie "Truman" . I have enclosed a photo of
him, keep up the good work.

- Martin Weathersbee

Chico State University 'Bury the Bottle'

My brother and his fraternity friends
watched Fandango back in their days at Chico State University (1986). To this
day, they have a select group of guys that come together once a year to dig up
a bottle of liquor - the first year it was a bottle of DOM (only the guys that
were included in the original group back in 1986 are allowed to attend each
year's get together). They call it "Bury The Bottle", and my brother has been
there every year for the past 16 years. It was inspired by their favorite film,
Fandango. Because the film came out in 1984, maybe we should petition Warner
Brothers to re-release the film in theatres in commemoration of its 20th
anniversary. I can't, for the life of me, understand why this film wasn't one
of the biggest films of its generation. I guess it's a reflection of the common
person's mentality/taste when I can easily get "American Pie" and "Dude, Who
Stole My Car" on DVD, but not a movie like "Fandango".

Ryan Tracy, Sacramento, CA

Working on the Fandango set

What a great site! Just spent two fun hours
enjoying it, and will spend more perusing the rest. Somewhere I have the
original 8x10 of the 'Complimentary' polaroid Truman shot of the Groovers with
the laundry falling out of the sky. We made it from a frame from the film then
from that into the prop polaroid Philip looks at later on. Next time I come
across it I'll be sure to send you the image. It needs to be framed and hung in
a special spot here at home as well as on your site.

Fandango was my
first feature film. I'd been paying my dues at Warner Bros. and moving up to
Assistant Editor for years, ending up on The Dukes of Hazzard, when they needed
a 'Contact Man' for Fandango because editor Artie Schmidt and his staff were on
location with Kevin Reynolds rather than here on the lot as was usually the
case. The exposed camera negative was shipped to Technicolor and the sound to
Warners Sound Transfer at the end of each shooting day. My job was to retrieve
picture and sound, sync 'em up and prepare dailies, screen them for the Warner
executives, take screening notes then ship the lot back to location each
day.

At the time I didn't realize I was working on
one of the two favorite films of my 27-year career. It was my first feature
after all, and I was thrilled to be on a feature schedule of months to deliver
a 2-hour project rather than the 3-weeks we had to deliver a 1-hour 'Dukes'
episode. The quality of performance, photography and editing is just so much
better when the artists have some time to ply their craft. And we had a really
cool story.

I'd read the script and loved it but was truly
unprepared for the magical material that unfolded in the darkness of the
executive screening room. The first day of the shoot at the parachute school
was hysterical! Nobody expected that kind of art direction and imagery let
alone the Truman character. And the mechanic's performance was truly mystical.
The execs hadn't seen that kind of thing before and weren't sure what to make
of it. I think that's why Kevin Reynolds took everything on location with him -
so the studio wouldn't interfere. Orson Welles did that a lot but I'm not
trying to imply any comparisons. Had the Warners execs been more courageous
they would have given the picture the advertising hype it deserved which would
have made it a financial and critical success. After all, most of the cast
turned out to be major stars and the editor won an Oscar for Who Framed Roger
Rabbit, among others.

Originally, when the guys are sleeping at the
Giant set ruins, there was a long montage panning over the Groovers; as the
camera lingers on each Groover we see their dreams - which sort of still
remains in the movie - but at the end is Lester and he's dreaming... A TV TEST
PATTERN! The one with the Indian. It was really hard to find that image for the
film since we had no Internet back then. I wish it made the final cut because
after Gardner's beautiful and serious dream it's a helluva punchline.

I also remember how Kevin Costner called the
cutting room late one night wanting to talk to Mr. Schmidt and I was the only
one there. Although it's never happened again we talked over an hour, mostly
about tossing Dom over the cliff above the Rio Grande. Apparently he was on
dangerous footing and when the bottle went down it spun, the champagne
vaporized and the canyon winds blew the vapor back up in his face. He thought
that was mystical. I think it was too. Fandango is a very special, if small,
film.

I gotta stop this stroll down memory lane.
Right now. Thanks again for the thoughtful, wonderful, enjoyable and
entertaining website. These days especially we need more positive stuff in our
lives.

All the best, Kelly G. Crawford

Watching the movie... with a special guest

Hello - I just stumbled upon your site after a
dozen click-thrus trying to find a copy of Kevin Reynolds' student film, Proof
(so far I'm unsuccessful. Maybe it'll be included on the DVD). I'm impressed
with your site. Lots of information and great pieces of trivia - although I
can't tell you how disappointed I am that the DOM rock isn't on the border of
Mexico at the conclusion of a long hike through the wilderness but, rather,
sitting on the edge of a road.

Fandango still ranks as one of my favorite
films. I'm one of probably less than 1,000 people to see it in the theatre. I
saw it in NYC in 1985. Interesting story about that. It was a Sunday afternoon
and I had just flown back to New Jersey from a two week visit in Boca Raton,
Florida, visiting my parents. Down in Boca Raton, the movie choices are slim;
the theatres only play films in wide release. Not being a big fan of such
films, and living only 15 minutes outside of NYC where I often would go to
satisfy my eclectic taste in films, I was going through serious withdrawals by
the end of my two weeks in Florida.

A buddy picked me up at the airport and on the
way home we stopped and got the New York Times so I could see what movies were
playing in the City. We walk into my apartment and I open the movie section and
the first movie ad I see is a full-page ad for Fandango. I'd never heard of it
nor any of the actors, but I loved the ad: the photo of the graduation cap
hanging off the fin of the Caddy, etc. Also, if I remember correctly, the
tagline in the ad wasn't just 'It's the privilege of youth.' It was something
like, 'Most species find their way shortly after being born. For human beings,
it's shortly after graduating from college. It's the privilege of youth.'
Something like that.

I knew this was the movie I had to see and
NOW. I looked at the start times and the movie started in 20 minutes! DAMN! My
buddy and I gathered up a few other friends, we all piled into my car, and
raced into the city as fast as we could. We parked across the street from the
theatre (I think it was the Loew's on 3rd and 59th), buy our tickets and we go
charging into the theatre. The instant we sit down, the movie begins. I
remember, as the opening credits were rolling (still the best opening credits
I've ever seen), I looked at my friends and we were all bouncing in our seats
to 'Saturday's Alright for Fighting.' The quick trip into the city jacked us up
and we were rocking! Man, was I glad to be home.

Needless to say, we all were totally loving
the movie. There were only maybe 50 people in the theatre, but everybody was
having a great time. But no one more than the stranger sitting to my left,
separated by two seats. He was having a helluva time! So much so that I kept
looking over at him. So I go back to watching the movie, and this one guy
onscreen looks so familiar to me. I turned to my friend and asked, 'You
recognize this guy?' 'Nope,' he says. Hmmm....maybe he looks like an old friend
or something. Nevermind... Finally, the waterskiing scene hits its climax and
we're practically falling out of our seats. This stranger sitting two seats
away was loving it more than anyone. I look over at him again, and then looked
at the screen, and then looked at him, and realized it was the same guy. It was
Judd Nelson. Judging by his reaction to the movie, I'm guessing this was his
first opportunity to see the final cut.

The movie ends, I hit the john and who's in
the urinal next to me, but Judd Nelson again. (This guy must think I'm stalking
him or something.) I finish my business, walk out to the lobby and as soon as
Judd walks out my buddy says to him, 'Hey, nice job in the movie.' Nelson
thanks us and walks off. (My buddy later pointed out that the coat he was
wearing that night was the same coat he wore in 'The Breakfast Club.') On my
way out of the theatre, I asked the guy working the ticket concession if I
could buy the movie poster. He told me they're obligated to send the one-sheets
back and they can't sell them. 20 years later, I'm still trying to find that
damn poster! (Although the image on the latest VHS release is practically the
same artwork as the original poster.)

For weeks afterwards I'm raving about
'Fandango' to other friends, but none of them have ever heard of it. I tell
them they have to see it. But the next time I check the New York Times, I
notice it's not playing any longer. (Years later I would find out that it only
grossed $50,000 in theatrical release, meaning it probably played at one
theatre in NYC and one in L.A., and only for a weekend - the weekend I saw it.
How lucky was I?) I was convinced that I would be one of only a few lucky
people to ever see Fandango. And then I found your site and realized just how
much of a cult classic Fandango had become.

Six years later, in 1991, I'm driving across
country with my girlfriend on our way back from L.A., and we're driving through
Texas on Interstate 20. I look out the window and I yell out, 'Holy shit, it's
Chata Ortega's!' We get out of the car, hop the fence and walk over to the
building. What a treat! It looked exactly the same. (Except for all the pigeon
crap that was absolutely everywhere.) Funny thing is, as soon as got close to
the building, a slew of pigeons took off towards the sky simultaneously. It
scared the hell out of us. When we got back to Jersey, I popped Fandango into
the VCR and went right to the Chata Ortega scene. In the scene, you can see a
slew pigeons take off, just like they did when we made our unscheduled
visit.

Once again, congrats on a great site. It's
nice to see that there's a legion of 'Fandango' fans.

Bill Rosen

Denmark Fandango

As drunken fools on a pilgrimage to find all
of the places you mention on your wonderful site, three of us buried a six pack
of Shiner Bock inside the front doorway of Chata Ortega's in 1987. That would
make it a very fine 18-year-old 6 pack of bock. The plan was to retrieve it
when we were 50. We also took the address off the doorway and it is in a closet
at home. We found DOM as well but after almost plummeting over the edge, we
gave up on burying anything there.

John McConnico, Copenhagen

Watching the filming

I was in Little League Baseball in Fort Davis
when Fandango was filming in and around the area. I recall the actors being
there and the director was also visible. Of course at that time we did not know
who Kevin Costner and anyone else was. I do now. My biggest recollection is
when the local newspaper had placed a notice for all the town folk to have
there porch lights on one evening, a plane would be flying over for use in the
film. I recall the plane flying over that night. I also have 3 great
grandparents buried in the Marfa cemetary used in the film.This movie is dear
to me due to my childhood experience with it.

Timothy Vasquez, San Angelo, Texas

Laguna Mountains Dom

Its been how many years since the film came
out? I got out of High School in San Diego and saw the movie on Bravo or
A&E or something like that. I remember laughing a lot and loved the music
and it gave me chills all over. Well, I fell in love with Pat Metheney, started
flying lessons (now I'm a professional Corporate Pilot), went to college and I
still own the video. I made all my pilot buddies watch the movie and all loved
it. When I was 18, me and my buddies went up to the local mountains to bury a
bottle of Champaign and while on the way up, we were in the back of a pickup
truck and my buddy flew out of the truck on the freeway at 70 mph. We pulled
over and he was laying in the freeway, then got up and got in the truck and we
continued the trip. We buried the bottle in a spot by a bench in the Laguna
Mountains. We went there a year after when one buddy got out of boot camp and
we dug all night and could not find it. We know its close but no luck. Its been
20 years and we go up sometimes and just look around but have not tried to dig
DOM up, so its still there. We always wondered where the movie took place and
all kinds of other questions which were answered tonight. Thanks and I just
might take a trip out to the spots. This movie really made an impact in my
life. I work with abused children part time and fly for a living. I appreciate
what life has to offer and give back and live my life like the Groovers would
have. Thanks again, "here's to the privalges of youth; here's to us and what
we'll be".

Marty Bunch, Santee, CA

Big Bend road trip 1974

You've got a great site. I've always been a
fan of Fandango. It reminds me of a road trip my buddies and I took to Big Bend
in 1974. We had a bad car, no money and terrible judgement. Despite several
fights and a couple of near-death experiences we survived, are still buddies
and look back on it with a lot of fondness.

I'll be taking my kids there next week. We'll
go see Chata Ortega's, where Dom was buried and where we were almost T-boned by
a copdoing over 100 mph just as we decided to hang a U in the middle of the
highway (that bad judgement thing). Everyone should have atleast one trip like
this in their life.

Mark Milam, Dallas, THE
BOMB

Big Bend National Park - locations hunt 2005

The past week, I set out by M/C to find
locations on my way to Big Bend National Park. I was pleasantly surprised that
most are still around. I had also found (by happenstance) the rest area where
Truman drops the girl off for the wedding. Though the buildings are no longer
there, the mountains and ditch in the background give it away. It is off of
Texas Hwy 20, between Fort Hancock and San Elizario.

Crew Shirt

One of the guys that worked in sound on the
movie gave me this crew
shirt from the movie. He claims everyone was wearing
them around the set. Thought you might want to see it. These
are iron on felt letters on the shirt (before screenprinting).

Jeff Brookings, Midland,
Texas

Fandango Stunt Pilot

I was one of the stunt pilots on Fandango. Marvin McIntyre and
I used to keep in touch, however over the years we've lost contact
with each other. I'd like to get in touch with him again. Can
someone pass this message along to him, or send me Marvin's E-mail
address, phone number, etc.Bill Warren- Note: I put Bill in touch with Marvin, who was delighted
to hear from him - Alex

Got this today....great story Thanks, Joel

Hi,

I ran across your great “Fandango” site while trying
to place the “Giant” mansion remnants in an attempt
to locate them via Google Earth. In doing so, I also checked out
your on “Fandango’s” location info and I thought
you might find this interesting.

The plane/helicopter chase scene was, indeed, filmed in Tulsa,
OK, and I say this only because I was a member of the local stagehands
union (IATSE Local 354) and was recruited as an “extra”
crew member to augment the Hollywood guys for this filming sequence.
We worked only one day, a Saturday, and the filming was completed
in a single take as the intersecting highways had to be temporarily
closed during the sequence. The specific location was the intersection
of Highway 169 and US412/I-244 on the northeast side of Tulsa
and just southeast of Tulsa International Airport.

I was selected to work as a gaffer on the shoot and assisted
in digging out and camouflaging a camera location, which sat immediately
adjacent to the westbound I-244 lanes and looked east, in a position
to film the aircraft approaching the overpass. After locating
a camera position and digging out the underbrush and grass to
create a flat position, I was instructed to cut down a small tree
underneath the overpass, remove individual branches and return
up the embankment to create a foliage blind for the camera. At
the same time, another gaffer was stretching out a brightly colored
plastic tape (similar to crime scene tape), to create an east-west
alignment line, which the aircraft and helicopter pilots could
use to guide them underneath the underpass. Shortly thereafter
the highways were shut down and were immediately followed by a
“rehearsal” run and moments later, the actual run
itself. I seem to recall this took around 15 minutes.

I have attached an overview from Google Maps, which I have added
to provide some clarity on the location. The red line denotes
the flight path underneath the overpass and my particular camera
position is marked with a yellow asterisk. I should note that
for obvious reasons, there were, as I recall, 1 or 2 other camera
positions but I cannot recall where they were.

I will add that following filming, we were bused to lunch at
a nearby La Quinta motel, where we were served an unforgettable
buffet-style lunch. (This is common on movie shoots as craft services
folks take very good care of the Hollywood and local crews!) While
I do not specifically recall what it was to be, some additional
scenes were scheduled in the afternoon and were to be shot in
the general area. However shortly before our call back time, a
really nasty severe thunderstorm formed, which nixed further shooting
for the day.

Thanks, Ken for this.....

I just wanted to write and say how much I love your website.
Fandango has been one of my favorite movies since I first saw
it on VHS around 1985 or 1986. I've watched it countless times
since then and I just cannot tell you enough how much Fandango
means to me, but I'm sure you know. While it is not my very favorite
movie, it's close. It also puts me in a frame of mind when I watch
it (especially when I used to drink quite a bit of beer watching
it) that is unlike any other movie I've seen. Thanks for starting
and keeping up such a great website. I sure hope to join the group
on the Ultimate Fandango next summer. Take care,

JOHN HOWELL

MIZE, MS.

_____________________________________________________________________

I feel like an idiot because every time I mention this movie
to anyone they tell me they never seen it, let alone heard of
it. FANDANGO without doubt is my all time favorite movie and to
come across a website dedicated to it is simply UNBELIEVABLE!!
I found your website by trying to research the locations of some
of the more popular scenes as I was planning a road trip next
year to each destination in honor of it's 25th anniversary only
to come across your link for the JULY 2010 planned adventure by
fans and members related to the movie already in motion.
I was only 13 when the movie was released and when I first saw
in the theatre, and though I totally didn't understand it all,
The more I watched it on cable/VCR tapes and finally DVD hundreds
of time, The more I loved it. At first because it was just a bunch
of guys going on a crazy road trip. As I watched it more and more
and as I got older everything I didn't understand at first became
clear over the years creating a deeper appreciation for this movie.
Thanks so much for this website.............

Got this great e-mail from a fan and thought I would share with
you guys....

Hi Jeff,

I just said to myself as i was walking through my kitchen, "Gimme
3 Chili Dogs and a Malt." Then it occurred to me to look
up Fandango and here I am. I can't believe how many other people
did their own "Doms". I loved the movie so much that
back in 1990 I made my fraternity (Sigma Nu, Southern Utah) brothers
watch the film during pledge week. They've been doing so twice
a year for nearly 20 years.
It impacted me and 4 of my closest brothers to such a degree that
in 1993 we buried our own 'Dom' high up in the rockies where we
camped during our college years. We too named it Dom but had Crazy
Horse Malt Liquor in it instead (along with other things that
were meaningful). We pledged we would come back 7 years later
and dig that ol' rascal up. That no matter where we were or what
we were doing that we would know that on that very date seven
years hence we would be back at that site. Well, 4 of us made
it back to dig it up in 2000. It was an awesome experience. So
good that we buried another one in 2001 and 7 years from that
date we all returned and dug it up too. We haven't put DOM III
in the ground, but are planning on it later this Fall.
Knowing that a DOM is in the ground can get you through some tough
times and never fails to bring a smile to your face when you think
about what's waiting for you. I'll rustle up some pics of our
Doms and send. Look forward to meeting you all.

Got this from Grady Rumfelt and knew you guys would like to here
their story.

I just noticed today that there was a fansite for the movie
Fandango and thought I would
share my story:

10 years ago, me and 5 friends travel out to west Texas and
buried a bottle of Dom. The
idea coming from the movie, I thought this was a way to keep us
together as friends. This group
of guys would take one last trip before going on their separate
ways (married, kids, moving, etc.)
We would go back 10 years later and uncover the bottle. Well that
time is this weekend. We
have still stayed in touch all these years and it we couldn’t
be more excited..........

It’s out by Fort Davis in the Davis Mountains. We are all
meeting up tomorrow (a few of the
guys are flying in) and then driving out on Friday. We are making
a whole weekend of it,
stopping along some dive bars along the way. It’s funny
that all this time has gone by and not
once did I think to look on the internet to see if anyone else
had done this. I was just looking for
some “Fandango” pics to forward out to the guys for
some fun, and I happened upon your
website. I will send updates when I get back. Keep the Fandango
spirit alive….

We found it!!!!

The whole trip was a success and we all had a great time. There
was a moment that it
didn’t look like we would ever find the bottle, but my good
friend Shawn used his intuition and
tracked right to it. Everything had overgrown so much in 10 years
that nothing looked the same
when we arrived. When we buried it, we move a big rock over it
to make it easier to find, but it
was completely covered with grass and weeds. It looked like the
right spot, so we move the rock
and started digging. Not until I saw the orange of the bucket
we placed the bottle in, did I think
this was it. After pulling it out and taking pictures we decided
to keep the old bottle closed and
open up the new one to drink. We were all on a high driving out
of that place. It’s still hard to
believe it had been 10 years. Attached are some photos from the
trip including one from 10 years
ago. My buddy is putting together a album, so I’ll send
more as they come in. Feel free to share
our story and let me know if you have any questions.